Öko Frozen Yogurt & Tea

Thanks to my handy dandy e-newsletters, I read about this organic frozen yogurt place called Öko in Park Slope, Brooklyn. I LOVE fresh, tasty and healthy frozen yogurt (Red Mango, for example; not the supermarket kind), so this one caught my eye. Although I hardly eat organic food, I'd like to try Özo at least once.

Dos Caminos

Sheena and I RSVPed for this Canadian rooftop event hosted by New York Magazine today from 6-9pm. I got there around 6:30pm—stood on line, just to hear them say the party was booked and they weren't allowing any more people in. It would've been nice to sip some free wine and munch on some hors d'oeuvres while hanging out in the sun.

We were starving so we went with Plan B—walked over to the East side to find a restaurant. We settled with Dos Caminos, this very trendy Mexican place. Sheena ordered a shrimp ceviche ($12) and I ordered grilled mahi-mahi wrapped in soft tacos with spicy cole slaw on the side ($14). When our food came, we COULD NOT believe how small they were... for THAT price. I wasn't concerned about the price but I wanted some bang for my buck. I have to admit, the tortilla chips, salsa, and guacamole was delicious but guacamole for an additional $12? That's the highest I've ever paid for guacamole dip. I don't want to keep complaining about this but I guess it was a learning experience for the both of us. Besides the food, this restaurant is ridiculously huge for the Midtown East area—I can just imagine how much the rent is. Also, the customer service was excellent. I couldn't have asked for a better waiter.


     

Red Mango

On Wednesday, I met up with Mimi and her friends for some frozen yogurt at Red Mango (on 14th street and 6th ave). I was told that Red Mango came first in Korea but Pinkberry was brought over to the U.S. first. So I took a bite of the green tea flavor at Red Mango and that was sooo good. You'll just have to try it out for yourself. The next day I went to Pinkberry to try green tea and I wasn't really crazy about it. I can't wait to go to RM again...

On another note, my throat started to feel dry and irritated yesterday about an hour before I left work. Looking forward to a Friday night and getting a sore throat at the same time just made my day. I'm drinking hot tea with lemon juice and honey as I'm typing this. Hopefully this isn't a symptom that a cold is coming up.

KFC: Not Kentucky Fried Chicken, but Korean Fried Chicken

NOTE: ^ Don't try to abbreviate "Korean Fried Chicken" - it's nothing like "Kentucky Fried Chicken." :)

After spending a good two hours at Chelsea Piers' bowling alley, my friend Mimi and I went to BonChon Chicken in Koreatown for dinner. It's on the second floor of a building (it's sort of hidden if you ask me) so no one would know about it until someone spreads the word. When you go inside, it looks like a bar/lounge. It's quite small but the atmosphere is nice. We waited for about half an hour before we could be seated. We ordered a medium-sized platter of soy garlic fried chicken drum sticks and wings with a small side of salad for $15—it was very fulfilling. The chicken has a very distinct taste; it's probably the best chicken I've tasted so far. I'm sure it's not healthy but we didn't care. I made sure there was no more meat left on the bones. Then we washed it down with a bottle of lychee soju. It's an alcoholic drink but it's so fruity and delicious, you almost can't taste the alcohol. I can't wait to go back in the future.

Brunch from 2/2/08

My girl friends (Sam and Sheena) met up for brunch three Saturdays ago at RUE 57. The menu is quite pricey for lunch and dinner but it's not too bad for brunch. I ordered APPLE CREPES, with cinnamon laced maple syrup and grilled apples. Sam ordered LOX, EGGS AND ONIONS, with atlantic smoked salmon, sweet red onion, and bagel crisps. Sheena ordered BRASSERIE BENEDICT, with toasted croissants, jambon de Bayonne, poached eggs and sauce béarnaise. My dish was very filling and yummy! I usually don't go out to eat that much but I hardly see these girls, so we figured going to a somewhat fancy place for food wouldn't hurt. I didn't get a chance to upload the pictures until now cause I was lazy. I recommend going to RUE 57 if you want a nice brunch in the city. It's located on 57th street and 6th avenue. I'll probably head over there in the spring—they put tables and chairs outside when it's warm enough.

From Street Fighter Crisis to Mediocre Thai Restaurant

* Chun Li Drawing: Copyright © 2007 Lisa Ha. All rights reserved.

A friend of mine told me that the movie, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li is currently in pre-production. To my surprise, Kristin Kreuk from Smallville has taken on the role of Chun Li. Oh Hollywood, you have got to be kidding me, right? There are plenty of Chinese actresses out there they could've considered before making their final decision. So what if Kristin did a little kicking stunt in an episode of Smallville? That's not the point! Ming-Na Wen from the original Street Fighter movie (1994) will do 100x better! She's in her early 40s but still looks GREAT and still has the potential to take on the job!


--- break --- (I decided it's better that I kill two birds with one stone—In other words, creating one post for two topics)


I went to a Thai restaurant in Astoria with a good friend of mine. It's called Benjamas Taste of Thai. It was somewhat crowded since it was Valentine's Day but there were only two waitresses. We looked at the menu and waited for about 10-15 minutes. I thought they forgot about us so I had to wave my arms around like I was drowning in the ocean. I ordered (don't remember the Thai name) some flat noodles with eggs, veggies and chicken. My friend ordered green curry with chicken and a side of white rice. The meals were very tasty, the staff was nice but the service could've been a lot better. The total came out to be around $20 which isn't so bad. I doubt I'll go back there anytime soon though. I love Astoria—I'll move out there if I could afford it. That's probably my new eating spot if I choose to dine out again. I won't forget about Manhattan though. Despite the higher prices, my friends and I know a few low-key affordable spots like this awesome sushi place down in St. Mark's Place which I'll blog more about later. It's time to hit the sack. Oh, I'm so excited that tomorrow is Friday! YES!